History
The Bill and Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund was the brainchild of the late Jeff Rose (shown in photo at left), Mr. Portland Leather 1993. As he prepared to step down from his title year in February 1994, Jeff was determined to bequeath to the community a perpetual gift honoring the couple who had so deeply inspired him as a young gay activist, Bill and Ann Shepherd. In Jeff's words:
What Bill and Ann have done in founding Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays deserves ongoing recognition. They have been a role model of parental love and support to their lesbian daughters and to all their thousands of 'adopted' gay and lesbian kids over the years. They exemplify what 'family values' should be about!
About
Bill and Ann Shepherd
In 1972, Susie Shepherd came out to her parents, Portland attorney William K. Shepherd and former newspaper reporter Ann M. Shepherd (in photo at left). At that time, Bill Shepherd was in the 34th year of a 56-year career as a respected general practice lawyer, and Ann Shepherd had turned from editing elementary and high school parent-teacher newspapers to fine arts volunteerism with the Portland Opera Guild. Four years later, the Shepherds were deeply committed to fighting for gay and lesbian civil rights.
In 1976, Bill Shepherd founded the Portland Town Council Legal Resource Group. This group of legal professionals committed to ensuring justice for sexual minorities was the forerunner of the Oregon Gay and Lesbian Law Association (OGALLA). That same year, Ann was appointed to a two-year term on Oregon Gov. Straub's Task Force on Sexual Preference. The Shepherds also began speaking before church and civic groups throughout the Northwest, urging parents to love and accept their gay and lesbian children and urging churches and organizations to love, respect and include all members. Bill and Ann teamed with Chuck and Rita Knapp in 1977 to found the Portland chapter of Parents of Gays, which later affiliated with the national organization Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, PFLAG.
Until his death in 1995, Bill Shepherd provided low-cost legal counsel to same-sex couples who wanted to ensure their partners optimal decision-making and inheritance rights. For her part, Ann Shepherd "mothered" countless gays and lesbians rejected by their families and churches, and worked with confused parents to heal the wounds of misinformation and judgment.
Ann and Bill fought every anti-gay ballot measure and candidate that has crossed their path. In 1985, the Shepherds received the prestigious Lucille Hart Award from the Right-to-Privacy PAC. In 1997, Ann was the first recipient of Metropolitan Community Church's namesake Shepherd's Award. Also that year, she received OGALLA's Lifetime Achievement Award. The Northwest District of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches awarded Ann its 2000 Human Rights Award, and in December 2000, The Imperial Sovereign Rose Court invested Ann with the title of Immortal Legend of Diversity. And finally: Ann proudly led Portland's 2001 Gay Pride Parade as Grand Marshal.
The law, and justice, embodied Bill's approach to every aspect of life. In the 1960s, he wrote and produced award-winning television programs (Getting Married; Civil Disobedience) for the Oregon State Bar. In the 1980s, he began helping hundreds of physically disabled Oregonians attain greater independence in his role as creator and president of the Blanche Fischer Foundation. He was an active member of First Presbyterian Church from the 1950s until his death, serving as elder, chair of the church's board of trustees, member of the Menucha Commission and trustee of Holladay Park Plaza.
Ann Shepherd was equally multidimensional in her civic and civil rights commitments. She was ordained an elder of First Presbyterian Church in 1982 and deacon in 1995. From 1977 to 1983, she served on the board of Young Audiences, and in her later years hosted opera apprentices in her home. She served on the Community Advisory Committee of the Multnomah County Restitution Center since 1986 and chaired it from 1995 to 1998. In 1995, she was elected vice president, and in 1998, president, of the Blanche Fischer Foundation, a post she held until January 2001. In October 2000, she joined 13 other Oregonians and 3,500 other persons with disabilities and advocates as they demonstrated at the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Americans With Disabilities Act. In February 2001, she received The Vollum Humanitarian of the Year Award from Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.
Bill and Ann Shepherd spent their lifetimes advocating for civil liberties. The Bill and Ann Shepherd Legal Scholarship Fund of Equity Foundation represents an ongoing commitment to equal rights and justice for all.
An
Annual Benefit — and A Class Act
A Class Act 1995 was the first major benefit for the scholarship, and it set the stage for the annual spring fundraising concert. Bill Shepherd died on March 8, 1995, as the first event neared. A Class Act took its present form a year later, combining Bill and Ann's passion for music with their delight in sumptuous desserts. It joins two of their other loves as well: to gather together thinking, creative people and to continue the education of new generations of legal warriors who will carry on the fight against bigotry and discrimination in Oregon.
A Class Act 2008: Trio de Novo
On the occasion of our 13th musical fundraiser, we are lucky beyond measure to host the world premiere of Trio de Novo, featuring Barbara Johnston, cello; Randy Dunn, clarinet; and Jeffrey Payne, piano. The event will be Friday, April 25, 2008, at The Old Church in downtown Portland (corner of S.W. 11th and Clay). Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door, and are available now at Funny Bone/ Balloons on Broadway (downtown Portland) or by mail from Susie Shepherd, 6615 NE 22nd Ave, Portland, OR 97211. Join us for an evening of delicious music — followed by sumptuous desserts. See you there!